Regeneration of cat corneal endothelium induced in vivo by fibroblast growth factor

The corneal endothelium of man, primates and carnivores has limited regenerative ability. Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) stimulates the proliferation of various mesoderm-derived cells, including corneal endothelial cells, in vitro. In the present work the effect of FGF on the regeneration of injured cat endothelium in vivo was studied. Scraping of cat corneal endothelium off Descemet's membrane was carried out by a specially designed instrument. FGF from crude preparations (25 micrograms in 50 microliter saline) or affinity purified FGF (0.5 micrograms in 25 microliter saline) were injected immediately after the scraping of the endothelium, and in both cases significant stimulation of endothelium regeneration was observed. During the first 2 weeks after scraping, the endothelial cell density (ECD) in FGF-treated eyes was higher by a factor of 1.7-2.3 than that in the control eyes. This marked difference decreased with time, but even after 12 weeks the ECD in FGF-treated eyes was higher by a factor of 1.15-1.30 than in the control eyes. Furthermore, FGF improved the polygonal shape of the cells and decreased the corneal thickness. These results clearly demonstrate the efficacy of FGF in inducing the proliferation of cat corneal endothelial cells in vivo and indicate its potential application in clinical practice.